KUALA LUMPUR – Muda deputy president Amira Aisya Abd Aziz believes her victory in the Chinese-majority Puteri Wangsa seat in the Johor election earlier this year is evidence that Malaysians no longer vote along racial lines.
The first-term assemblyman said her win is proof that voters now care more about the ideas and policies championed by candidates, rather than blindly throwing their support behind those who share the same skin colour.
This, she said, proves the maturity of Malaysian voters today, amidst a sea of racial rhetoric often played up by certain political parties and leaders.
“In Johor, we tried something different that worked perfectly. In Puteri Wangsa, the majority of voters are Chinese, and other parties had also placed Chinese candidates,” she said in an exclusive interview with The Vibes yesterday.
“Despite this, the people were not bothered. They voted for Muda, they voted for me, a young Malay woman, because of the ideas I offered. It’s not about my race.”
In the Johor election that took place in March, Amira Aisya saw off three Chinese candidates, respectively from MCA, Gerakan and Parti Bangsa Malaysia. She garnered 22,884 votes and won the seat by a handsome majority of 7,114.
Two other Malay candidates who contested – one from Pejuang and another independent – came out bottom.
Based on 2018 election data, Chinese make up the majority of voters in Puteri Wangsa, with 50% of the overall constituents, followed by Malay (39%), Indian (10%) and others (1%).
Amira Aisya said the Tenang state seat in Johor, which was contested by Muda vice-president Lim Wei Jiet, is another example of how Malaysians have moved beyond racial politics for a more moderate and progressive one.
Lim, a lawyer, became the first non-Malay to contest in a Malay heartland seat, which has been traditionally contested by Malay-Muslims.
He emerged in second place behind Umno’s Haslinda Salleh, losing by a majority of 1,736, but defeated two other Malay candidates from Bersatu and Pejuang.
The thinking previously is that, because it is the Malay heartland, only the Malays can contest. But we were daring enough to place a Chinese candidate there to send a message that racial sentiments should not matter anymore,” she said.
“And that turned out to be true. Lim might have lost, but he finished second by only a thousand-plus vote, which is an amazing feat, considering it’s the first time a non-Malay contested there.
“So, it sends a message that Malaysians are not like before. They care more about the ideas we present to them, rather than skin colour, race, religion.”
PM must act against racist Hadi
Amira Aisya was also asked about racial rhetoric spouted by parties like PAS in its bid to garner support from hardcore Malay-Muslim voters.
Most recently, PAS president Tan Sri Abdul Hadi Awang accused non-Muslims of being the root of corruption in the country while separately claiming that his party is opposed to the concept of Malaysian Malaysia, which he claimed to be against Islamic teachings.
Commenting specifically on Hadi’s remarks, Amira Aisya said she is extremely disappointed that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob, who has branded his administration as “Keluarga Malaysia”, has not acted on the matter.
This is a concern, as Hadi does not only represent PAS, but is also the government’s special envoy to the Middle East, she pointed out.
This is a government official releasing a very racist statement.
“I think the government and prime minister should take very firm action (against Hadi) to say there is no place for racism and racial sentiment in Malaysia.
“You should not allow this kind of sentiment to be played, because the more you close your eyes and ears, the more rampant the issue will be,” she said.
Amira Aisya added that based on data collected from Muda’s Malaysia Maju outreach programme, racial issues were not earmarked by voters as among their biggest concerns.
“In fact, the three main prevalent issues in all states and Parliament constituencies are cost of living, education and climate change.” – The Vibes, September 20, 2022
